


Compassion

by AthrunYuy



Series: Monkees/Stargate [6]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Over coming Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1946760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthrunYuy/pseuds/AthrunYuy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney guilt-trips himself into helping John's sister who has a migraine. While doing so, he gains a new perspective on the relationship between her and his boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Compassion

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anybody mentioned.

When Rodney stepped back into the labs late that night, he didn’t expect to run into anyone let alone Jenna. The lights came up at his entrance shocking him to see her sitting at a table alone and previously in the dark; the only light source coming from a laptop in front of her that was in standby mode. He walked to his destination to retrieve the tablet John made him forget to grab on his way out earlier and has half a thought to continue on his way. John was waiting for him and the kind of day he had, he knew John could make it a whole lot better.

Rodney had hoped to make a quick retreat and had made it five whole steps closer to the door before the little voice inside his head that sounded an awful lot like Carson told him to stop. Taking a good two minutes arguing with himself on whether or not he should intrude or not, hoping to not have to, (come on! John was waiting for him!), but knowing that he should, he sighs with his answer. He knew something was up with the Major. She had been weirdly quiet today in their staff meeting, but Rodney was never one to pry. She was too new to him to judge whether him asking would be welcome. So as he makes his way across the lab, Rodney tells himself that this can still be quick and at the first sign that she doesn’t want his help, he’s gone.

Fat chance at that. Upon looking at her he can see the dark rings forming beneath her eyes from lack of sleep and stress and the unmistaken sight of pain at the now brightly lit room. For as long and as short of a time that he has know John’s alias sister she has never looked this disheveled before. As he approaches she doesn’t even take notice of his presence and it disturbs him deeply. It was one way that he could tell whether John was ok or acting fine; and he has come to realize that these two were so much alike in actions that he was pretty sure that this was one of those times too.

“Um, don’t smack me or anything but,” Rodney starts coming up on her left to see her eyes clinched shut, “you look like shit.”

Jenna’s bright blue eyes peek out from their hiding place to chance a look at the voice she wasn’t expecting. Rodney could see the shock in her expression from being noticed by him of all people. “Thanks, I feel about the same as I look then.”

Rodney’s face turns to worry seeing how her eyes wouldn’t focus in on his face as she spoke, not to mention the lack of green that usually hid around the edges. Calmly (as though not to spook an animal) he perches on the table top in front of her trying to piece together what could possibly be wrong. Like the natural scientist that he is, Rodney tries out a few theories. “Can you see how many fingers I’m holding up?” he asks holding up two fingers just to the side of her vision.

Jenna looks up at him in question but decides to play along before she could get fingers snapped in her face to focus her attention towards him. Sighing she shakes her head, not being able to make out much of her surroundings. Rodney was only a foot away from her and he was just on the side of becoming a blur. At her answer Rodney mentally lowers the lights in the labs.

“When was the last time you ate?” He asks fishing around in a nearby drawer.

“I’m at the point of not being able to.” Jenna admits closing her eyes once again and leaning her head on her shoulder.

Rodney growls in frustration producing a bottle of water and a power bar from the drawer he was digging in. “Is it a solider thing or a Sheppard thing that makes it impossible for you two to take care of yourselves?” Jenna smirks at him through closed eyes and ops to not move too much of her head for fear that it may fall off. “You need to go to the infirmary and get some sleep. Eat this. The water should do better than caffeine.”

“I’ve been to the infirmary already, there’s nothing more they can do.” Jenna defends herself taking the offered power bar. “And for the record, John and I do take care of ourselves….when we can.” Her voice trails off at the end. Taking a bite of the power bar she chews slowly to insure that she doesn’t give it back to Rodney in a way that he’ll surly not appreciate. Jenna can feel the rolling of his eyes but chooses not to poke more.

“Prove me wrong then.” Rodney says sliding down to his feet. “Take my hand.”

“What?”

“Take my hand.” Rodney repeats hating that he has to. It always bugs him to have to repeat himself to those he knows is smart enough to hear him the first time. “We’re going to fix you up. I know how bad migraines can get. Tylenol won’t help a bit and you can’t get rid of it unless you sleep it off.”

“I’ve tried. It’s hurts too much.” Jenna moans as she stands with Rodney’s help.

“That’s why you got me.” Rodney offers her a reassuring smile hugging her shoulder briefly.

Jenna looks up at him in wonder. “What about John, aren’t you guys suppose to be meeting up for dinner?”

“Yes, yes we are.” Rodney replied leading her towards the door. “But you know what?” He sighs. “He’ll understand.”

“Why, Mer?” Jenna asks leaning up against the wall stopping them.

Rodney rolls his head back putting his hands on his hips. He should have known being nice would be harder than it should be. “Because, _Michelle_. I’d like to think that we have some sort of friendship and according to others, this is something a friend would do. Plus, I know how much it hurts to have migraines. I used to get them all of the time.”

Jenna smiles sheepishly up at him. “You called me Michelle, you softy.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t let the word get around. I have a reputation to upphold after all.” Rodney exclaimed sarcastically pulling away from the wall to continue their walk to her quarters.

They manage with Jenna walking like drunken solider to make it to her room. Rodney orders her a shower while he moves around as if this wasn’t the first time he has been there. Jenna doesn’t ask questions and does what she was told taking a little longer than her usual shower. When she walks back into the bedroom dressed in a black tank top and Johnny Cash pajama pants Rodney raises a brow. “Better not let John see those.”

“Don’t I know it. They’re his.” Jenna confined giving him a look in hopes he’ll keep her secret. “He’s been looking for them for years. Dad got them for him one Christmas. Where do you want me?”

Rodney patted on a pillow next to where he was sitting on her bed. “Lay down. I turned down the temp a bit so if you get cold I found another blanket.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m from Ohio. We’s got weather.” She mocks lying down next to him linking her hands across her stomach.

“Huh.”

“Huh?” Jenna asks looking up at him from her new position.

“Nothing, it’s just your hair is a lot longer than I thought.” Rodney explained. “Now, don’t get all creeped out or anything but I’m going to touch you.”

“Excuse me?!” Jenna yelped sitting up on her elbows.

Rodney pushes her back down by her forehead. “Relax, not that way, you perv.”

“You suck at this.”

“So I’ve been told.”

The conversation stops after that, Jenna just pulling his chain to ease her back into the realm of something normal as Rodney’s skilled fingers begin to message her scalp. To her surprise, his fingers are gentle and know exactly where to move. Within minutes the pressure of the headache from hell is blurring into something much less. “Hmmm.” Jenna practically purrs.

“Feeling any better?” Rodney asks in a whisper.

“A bit. You used to have migraines?”

“Yeah, I guess it comes with having such a big brain,”

Jenna laughs but then groans at the pressure it caused in her head. “Ow.”

“Sorry.”

“So k.” She slurs relaxing back into the feeling Rodney was giving her. “They used to be so bad that I’d nearly go blind.”

“And they let you fly planes?”

“I thought that I grew out of them.”

“What got you into planes? I mean, you can fly yourself.” Rodney asks trying to make small talk but was unsure of the grounds.

“The thrill is different.” Jenna says glancing for a moment up at Rodney. “John used to talk about them for as long as I can remember. The passion he had for them made me want to experience it and when I did, I was hooked.”

“Sounds like him. John can make fighting a lion appealing if he wanted to.” Rodney watched as Jenna’s expression changed from amuse and understanding to thoughtful and became kind of nervous in wondering.

“You know, John is just a brother to me, right?” Jenna’s question shocked Rodney and for a moment he forgot what he was doing. “There has never been anything more than friendship between us.” Unsure of what to say Rodney returned to his task. “But, what you have with him, it is so much more than you give credit to. I may know John, but you are the only person to put him back together. I’ve never seen him love someone the way he loves you. You complete him. And to think that it took him going to another galaxy to find that missing piece.”

“How…?” Rodney mumbled.

“I saw it in his eyes the first day I got here. I can feel the difference you make on him.”

Rodney sucks in a breath as if sucking in that information. It was something else to hear it on the outside and he was finding it a little over whelming. “Sometimes I get the feeling that he can do better,” His admission came as a shock to both of them.

“Mer, I know loving him can be hard.” Rodney scuffs at that. “But never give up on him. He wouldn’t have started anything if he didn’t mean it. It’s not like John to stray to the same side.”

“You mean he hasn’t…?”

“Nope, you’re special and I can tell you what, that doesn’t come easy to him.” Jenna tells him going into a yawn. “Thank you for loving him.” She whispers close to sleep.

“Thank you for telling me this. I trust him and I trust us.” Rodney told her feeling the happiness flow through him. Coming from her, John’s clone as he likes to think, somehow makes everything better as if hearing it from John’s own mouth. He would never give up, John was worth so much more than Rodney could ever thought possible.

~*~*~*~

John looks at his watch for the 50th time wondering how long it could possibly take to retrieve a tablet. He knew he should never have let him go to the labs alone. Rodney probably got caught up in a new project of something and forgot. Heaving himself off of the bed, John pushes his boots back on and heads out the door. When he reaches the lab Rodney told him the tablet was at, there was no one there and the lights were turned out for the night. Sighing he redirected himself to the main lab. A quick look around proved no Rodney but he did catch sight of Nicky off in the corner. Ambling over he could hear the muffled sounds of music blasting through her earphones attached to her IPod. How she can concentrate with that racket was always a mystery to him.

John tugs on a cord popping the earphone out of her ear to get her attention. “Oh hey, whatcha doing here so late?” Nicky asks turning back to whatever project she had immersed herself into.

“I was looking for Rodney, have you seen him?”

“Nope.” Nicky’s response popped from her mouth.

“Then have you seen your sister?”

Nicky swiveled her chair around to look at him. “Come to think of it and I use that term lightly, she had been awfully quiet today.” She says gesturing at her head with the overly large pencil she was using to write with, something Cam sent her as a joke. “Should I be worried?”

“Na, you know her. She likes to hide on occasion.”

“Alright, but…”

“I’ll let you know if something is up.” John cuts her off placing the earplug back into her ear. With a shrug, Nicky turns back to her work as John makes his way out.

Having tried three more places and coming up empty John chances searching Jenna’s room. If anything he may be able to find her. Coming up to her door Atlantis lets him in without any hesitation. He stops dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Rodney’s eyes shot up at his entrance and blue met hazel in gaze so strong John melted against the door frame.

“Sorry.” Rodney apologized eyes soft making John smile. “I hadn’t intended for it to take this long. She had a migraine. I was trying to help her sleep.”

At his explanation John smiled brighter. “Is she ok?”

Rodney carefully slipped from Jenna’s sleeping side and covered her with the blanket. “She should be fine now.” He whispers tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before wondering over to John’s side. “I hope your aren’t mad.”

“No.” John said looking at his sleeping sister reaching out to run a hand up Rodney’s arm. “That was very nice of you. Thank you.”

“Yeah well, I couldn’t just leave her.” Rodney said looking back at her one more time dimming the lights down to a softer glow.

John cups the side of Rodney’s face turning him back towards him. The fondness in John’s eyes takes Rodney’s breath away. They stare into each other’s eyes for what feels like an eternity, John inching closer. “Love you.” He whispers before kissing him gently and yet passionately.

Rodney’s eyes grow large in shock before melting into the kiss. Never have those words been uttered aloud before and the feelings they create within him make him want to cry. Pulling apart they rest their foreheads together soaking in the moment. “Me too.” He whispers making John’s gorgeous smile return to his lips.

“Come on. Dinner is waiting.” John pulls on Rodney’s hand leading outside and the whoosh of Jenna’s door closes behind them.     


End file.
